


Sowing the Seeds of Love

by rainpuddle13



Category: Poldark (TV 2015), Poldark - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Family, Love, Parenthood, Wild Baby Poldarks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 03:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14866047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainpuddle13/pseuds/rainpuddle13
Summary: Demelza keeps hearth and home for her husband and son.A set of vignettes that explores family life at Nampara.A companion piece toState of Love and Trust.





	1. I.

Demelza could hear the rustling of clothing being pulled on as Ross went about getting ready for the day, but she was finding it exceedingly difficult to rouse herself from the warm nest that was their bed. Prudie was in the kitchen already, banging every pot and pan as she prepared breakfast. Jeremy would soon be in for his customary morning kisses. So she just lay there, eyes closed, listening to the comforting sounds of everyday life in her home, content to remain there forever.

“Mmmhmm,” she purred when her handsome husband brushed his lips tenderly against hers.

“Stay abed, my love,” he spoke softly. “There’s rain this morning so no need to be up and about so early.”

She stretched like a contented cat before opening her eyes to find Ross still sitting on the side of the bed watching her with dark, unfathomable eyes in the dim early morning light, and her stomach fluttered like it did when they were first married. “Stay,” Demelza begged, her hand trailing along his thigh, a smile curling her lips at the shudder that passed through him.

“I’d’ve thought you’d had enough of me last night,” he chuckled, leaning in for another kiss that lingered into several more.

“Never that, Ross,” she promised, pushing up on her elbow when he sat back. “Never that.”

He gave a wry smile and a little shake of his head. “You should rest.”

“I feel fine.”

“Of course you do.”

“I do, Ross, truly.” It was both endearing and loathsome how he fretted over her when she was with child. She was a hale young woman in the prime of her life. There was no need to worry. It was enough to make her almost regret telling him her news so early on, but his joy once his surprise had worn away was genuine and that pleased her greatly.

“Still,” he said, voice full of command, as if he thought she’d pay his words any heed, “you are to allow Prudie to do most of the heavy work from now on.”

“Yes, Ross,” Demelza answered in response, both knowing it was acquiescence in words only. She’d continue to do as she pleased as long as she could.

His slipped his hand beneath the coverlet to rest low on her still flat stomach, a smile of wonderment softened his strong face, making him look much younger than his years. She could see hints of the man he had been when she’d first come to live in his house so many years ago. Despite near on seven years of marriage and now a third child on the way, she had yet to grow tired of him, and didn’t think she ever would.

“Happy?” she asked after he was silent for some time.

“Happy,” Ross confessed.

Just as she was about to suggest he return to bed to spend the morning with her, the door flung open and their son streaked in, still in his nightclothes, crying, “Mama! Mama!”

“Jeremy,” Ross said sternly, bringing the boy to an immediate halt before he could fling himself upon her. Demelza had to suppress a laugh.

“Papa!” the boy squeaked, surprised, when Ross abandoned her to hoist Jeremy up into his lap. His father was usually down the mine by the time he was up and about for the day.

“Can you do something for me, son?” Ross asked, all serious business, and continuing when the little boy had nodded enthusiastically. “Look after your mama whilst I’m from home, make sure she doesn’t do too much. Think you can do that for me?”

“Yes, Papa!” Jeremy said eagerly, clearly pleased to be charged with such a task. 

“Good.” He stood up to toss the boy in the air and catch him, making Jeremy squeal and giggle with pure delight. “I’m counting on you to do this thing for me. It’s very important.”

“Oh, Ross, don’t fill his head with such notions,” Demelza admonished, sitting up to lean back against the tall wooden headboard, stuffing several pillows behind her.

Ross laughed deeply and settled the squirming Jeremy in the bed next to her. “Maybe the boy can do what I cannot.”

“Which is?” she asked pointedly, narrowing her eyes to give her husband a hard look. Demelza had a fair inkling.

“Keep you in line.” He swooped in to kiss away any protest she might have mounted in defence, and she could feel the rumbling chuckling coursing through him.


	2. II.

She watched as Jeremy took the carrot she’d just unearthed and ran to place in the bowl on the worktable then run back to her to await the next vegetable she pulled from the ground only to repeat the ritual all over again. Garrick watched over the proceedings from a safe distance while lazing in a patch of shade near the garden gate.

"’Nother one, Mama!” Jeremy demanded, dirty little hands held out to her. 

“I think this will be the last one for today,” Demelza warned him, handing over the carrot like it was a most prized possession. It was a little game they’d been playing as of late. He seemed to enjoy carrying each vegetable to the table instead of allowing her to pile them in a basket as she usually did. 

“Awwwahhh,” he whined before darting off and returning just as quickly.

“I think I’ll pull some tatties next.”

Her son squealed and clapped his hands, making her heart swell. Jeremy loved potatoes of any kind, especially fried ones. The same as his father. It amazed her how similar the two men in her life were, yet so different. It made her wonder what Ross had been like when he was a child, before his mother died and his whole world changed into one of chaos and uncertainty.. Was he a bubbly, happy child, or was he a serious child, always deep in thought? With him being so dark in coloring, Demelza would’ve placed a wager on studious and serious, but Verity had relayed her some stories that painted a different picture of her husband. She wondered which of the two Jeremy would turn out to be.

“Mama!” Jeremy demanded. “Tattie!”

“Yes, sweetheart.” She slowly got up from the carrot patch to move to the potato plot, finding herself stiff once she was standing and having to stretch. The new child she was carrying was barely showing and her back was starting to ache already from a morning of working in the garden. She could only imagine what Ross would have to say to that.

Her son was watching her with thoughtful dark eyes so like his father’s. “I dig now.”

She sank down to the soft earth, tucking her worn dark red skirt around her bare legs before drawing Jeremy into her lap. “You may help me,” she told him, giving him the wooden trowel she liked to use and showed him how to carefully probe the rich soil without ruining the entire plant. He was inordinately pleased with himself when she praised him for turning up a clump of potatoes just as she’d instructed. The fact that she’d done most the work made no nevermind. It was the thought that counted.

They worked together until Demelza deemed they had enough for their supper. It was little moments like this that she enjoyed the most with her son. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder from time to time how things would’ve been had Julia survived. She sighed and swiped the wetness from her eyes with the back of her hand, leaving a trail of smudged dirt behind.

“I believe a bath and clean clothes are in order, Master Jeremy,” she said, setting him on his feet and patting his bottom before she slowly got up herself. “What do you think?”

“No!” he exclaimed, immediately removing himself well away from her grasp and making a beeline straight for the dog.

“Is that so?” Demelza asked, groaning a bit when she picked up the heavy basket laden with the fruits of their morning labors. “Auntie Caroline is coming for supper. You know how she feels about little boys with dirty hands.”

Jeremy turned to look at her with wide horror stricken eyes. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for Caroline. He’d been enamoured with their beautiful friend since the first time he’d laid eyes upon her, and she was equally enamoured of him, provided his hands were clean. 

“Shall we then?” She held out her free hand to him and could only laugh when he took the basket from her instead, struggling to lug it along into the kitchen.


End file.
